Nintendo’s Game Boy Turns 25; Yes You’re Getting Old
By today's standards, Nintendo's original Game Boy is an ancient, outdated piece of technology. It had a simple D-pad with A and B buttons, along with Start and Select, a tiny dot matrix display, and a fugly color scheme. However, the 25-year-old handheld deserves mad respect from gamers and fans of technology in general.
Nintendo launched its Game Boy to retail on April 21, 1989, and back then, all those traits we listed above were pretty cutting edge for a mobile device. For its time, it offered gaming-on-the-go that didn't suck, unlike those faux handhelds at Toys R Us that were little more than one-trick ponies.
To celebrate its 25th anniversary, The Guardian put together a list of 25 fun facts about the handheld that transformed mobile gaming. You might not know it, but Nintendo's Game Boy played a big role in making Tetris as popular as it is. Prior to the Game Boy's launch, Tetris saw moderate success on the PC, but would go on to become a household name after Nintendo began bundling it with the Game Boy. Tetris would go on to sell 35 million copies on the early platform.
If you are or were a Pokemon fan, you also have the Game Boy to thank. Prior to becoming a hit cartoon series, Pokemon was winning over fans on the Game Boy.
One reason for the Game Boy's success was its price point. It debuted at $89.99, which was significantly cheaper than the Atari Lynx -- it sold for around $179.99. And despite its name, female gamers flocked to the handheld as well -- Nintendo says that 46 percent of Game Boy users were female in 1995.
Did you ever own a Game Boy? What's your favorite gaming memory from the era?
Nintendo launched its Game Boy to retail on April 21, 1989, and back then, all those traits we listed above were pretty cutting edge for a mobile device. For its time, it offered gaming-on-the-go that didn't suck, unlike those faux handhelds at Toys R Us that were little more than one-trick ponies.
To celebrate its 25th anniversary, The Guardian put together a list of 25 fun facts about the handheld that transformed mobile gaming. You might not know it, but Nintendo's Game Boy played a big role in making Tetris as popular as it is. Prior to the Game Boy's launch, Tetris saw moderate success on the PC, but would go on to become a household name after Nintendo began bundling it with the Game Boy. Tetris would go on to sell 35 million copies on the early platform.
If you are or were a Pokemon fan, you also have the Game Boy to thank. Prior to becoming a hit cartoon series, Pokemon was winning over fans on the Game Boy.
One reason for the Game Boy's success was its price point. It debuted at $89.99, which was significantly cheaper than the Atari Lynx -- it sold for around $179.99. And despite its name, female gamers flocked to the handheld as well -- Nintendo says that 46 percent of Game Boy users were female in 1995.
Did you ever own a Game Boy? What's your favorite gaming memory from the era?
